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Canada got the last hurrah at the Celebration of Light Saturday evening, closing the three-night event with a winning display. Canada was declared the winner of the event, with Brazil and China finishing second and third, respectively.

Jim Mockford, general manager at The Listel Hotel, stands next to solar panels on the roof of the Vancouver hotel on April 18, 2013. The solar panels are part of an energy-efficient hot water system that saves the hotel $55,000 a year on natural gas expenses.

Photograph by: Arlen Redekop
, Vancouver Sun

Businesses can save money and get a solid rate of return on capital investments that cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study released Thursday by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).

Quick paybacks are available on investments in electricity, heating, transportation and waste management systems, stated the report which was prepared for PICS by Climate Smart Businesses, a consulting company that helps businesses measure and reduce their carbon footprints.

Climate Smart relied on data compiled from 700 businesses with which it had previously worked to determine that companies on average cut emissions 3.6 per cent in the first 12 months after an investment — growing to 11.5 per cent by year three.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises account for about 20 per cent of B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions, the report noted.

“B.C. businesses tend to choose (emission) reduction activities with the strongest (paybacks), regardless of whether they are simple (i.e. inexpensive) or capital intensive,” according to the report.

Diversion of landfill waste and fuel switching (i.e. shifting from diesel or gasoline to natural gas) are the most attractive ventures “due to anticipated rises in fuel and landfill costs.”

“Of the almost $1 million invested in emissions reductions ($671,175 of the organizations’ own money plus outside incentives), annual cost savings of $288,650 are now being realized across the 11 organizations,” the report said.

“Based on current energy and waste disposal costs, the estimated total saving over 10 years (minus the initial investment) is more than $2.2 million.

“With a projected payback period of 2.3 years, this equates to a 43-per-cent rate of return and annual emissions reductions of 485.6 tonnes (of carbon dioxide),” the report said.

PICS is the province’s leading body for climate change research. It is co-funded by four major universities — host institution University of Victoria, University of B.C., Simon Fraser University and University of Northern B.C.

Businesses that were examined in detail ran the gamut from a seniors rehabilitation centre in Delta and a Victoria butterfly garden to a coffee distributor in Coquitlam.

One Surrey company, Aggressive Tube Bending, projects a 1.6-year payback on replacement of two aging compressors with new high-efficiency models.

The project cost was $27,800, but a BC Hydro Power Smart rebate cut that by $15,300. Electricity consumption fell 22.7 per cent, or $7,700 per year.

“We had a couple of compressors we’d been using in the shop that were quite inefficient. Then we were made aware of the rebates, and it was quite substantial,” Angie Ahrens, controller for Aggressive, said in an interview.

The 129-room Listel Hotel on Robson Street in Vancouver spent $300,000, including a $45,000 Natural Resources Canada grant, on a solar hot water system installed on the roof.

Annual savings on natural gas used for hot water systems in the hotel are $55,000 with a projected payback of seven years, beginning with the new system installation in 2008.

Water heating accounted for more than 70 per cent of the Listel’s annual greenhouse gas emissions — natural gas bills (on a volume basis) have dropped about 25 per cent.

“We were interested in finding ways to improve the overall sustainability of the building,” Listel general manager Jim Mockford said in an interview. “The size of the roof was good to accommodate solar.”

Working with a solar equipment company, they devised a unique system involving both solar hot water heating and heat pumps that preheat fresh water before it’s piped into the hotel’s boilers.

“At the end of the day, what we have is water that goes into our boilers and instead of being ice cold — like it would come out of a cold-water tap — is now heated to the point where it’s quite warm,” Mockford said.

“So the energy to lift it from quite warm to hot is minimal compared with lifting it from tap water cold to hot. That’s where the savings is realized.”

Jim Mockford, general manager at The Listel Hotel, stands next to solar panels on the roof of the Vancouver hotel on April 18, 2013. The solar panels are part of an energy-efficient hot water system that saves the hotel $55,000 a year on natural gas expenses.

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